Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New Haven, Conn., was suspended Thursday due to a power failure, stranding rush hour commuters in the second such incident in less than a month. New Jersey Transit, which shares lines with Amtrak, was also disrupted.
The disorder began around 2:40 p.m. due to a malfunctioning circuit breaker, which caused a loss of power between Penn Station and Newark Union Station, according to Amtrak.
The disruption affected trains on the 150-mile stretch from Philadelphia to New Haven until 5:20 p.m., when power was restored.
Amtrak warned passengers to expect “significant residual delays” as trains got back on track. New Jersey Transit said customers faced delays of up to 90 minutes.
On Thursday morning, Amtrak advised trains would likely move at slower speeds due to high temperatures, delaying passengers by up to 60 minutes between noon and 7:30 p.m. for the rest of the week.
Late last month, Amtrak service between New York City and Philadelphia was suspended for over five hours due to downed wires in New Jersey, leaving hundreds of people stranded in Manhattan’s Penn Station.
Thursday’s snafu left commuters dreading the summer ahead.
“It’s worse and worse as time goes on,” said Mark Kudov, a 41-year-old mixed martial arts instructor heading from Penn Station to South Amboy, N.J.
“This isn’t the first time they shut things down. And every time they say, you still gotta pay for tickets,” he added. “It’s crazy. And in the summer it’s only going to get worse.”
